The Sans Souci Palace

When in Berlin you have to see the Prussian Residence of King Frederich the great or your trip may seem incomplete.

King Frederich II had a queen but no children and the guide told us that he had no heir to the throne so it was his nephew King Frederich Wilhelm II who ascended to the throne when he passed away in 1786.

The entrance was grand. The upholstery was kingly and notice the settee; we asked why it was so narrowly made and the guide cheekily reiterated that it was not meant to be sat for long.

The intricately-designed pillars and walls.

King Frederich the great was a poet and writer and was into art and language; French being preferred to Prussian.

The chandelier hanging down from a perfectly-decorated ceiling.

The guide told us the King loved music and drawings especially French ones and revealed that he spent many moments in this palace relishing the many art pieces drawn and collected during his reign. It was as if to compensate the lack of opportunity of his visiting the places of his love.

That is a handsome image of the perhaps lonely King.

Images of kingly portraits hung around the walls.

His penchant for art is clearly depicted in his assorted collections.

Gold-plated structures attached to the walls of the palace; we kept asking the guide if it were for real.

His favourite writing table; he wrote and created many pieces.

Another intricately elaborated wall.

The guest rooms. Again we asked about the narrow beds. There was no exact answer. Maybe people were small in size then !

The marbled floor was patterned after vineyards; another connotation of the importance of wineries and the drink.

The wall panelings are beautifully engraved with the grape plant and the like.

It was art that King Frederich cherished though he won many military acquisitions and wars. His love for beauty, poems, writing and paintings spread through his palace.

The Sans Souci Palace gave us memorable insights into the times and ecstatic preferences of Prussian Kings. It would have been a shame to miss it.

Of Prussian Residences and Palaces.